Enzo Maresca has disclosed that Cole Palmer has suffered another injury blow after breaking a toe in a domestic mishap.
The Chelsea star had been nearing a comeback from a persistent groin problem, but now faces being sidelined for the Blues' upcoming trio of fixtures, according to Maresca. Speaking before the journey to Burnley, the Italian manager confirmed: "He is probably not available for tomorrow, for sure, Barcelona, for sure, Arsenal, for sure.
"Unfortunately he had an accident at home with his toe. But it's nothing important. For sure he is not back next week." When questioned further about Palmer's latest setback, Maresca explained: "We don't know. It's fractured.
"The only thing we know is he is not available for this week and next week," reports Football London. "The last time I saw him was yesterday morning and he was without socks, without flip-flops, without nothing.
"I don't know how he is today. It was in the changing room. He wasn't limping, he seemed okay, but it's his small toe [in his left foot], so it can be painful."
Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca has a fresh Chelsea headache (Image: Getty Images)
It's believed the 23-year-old caught his toe on a door at his Surrey residence.
Palmer has managed only four outings this campaign so far. Three of those have been Premier League appearances where the attacking midfielder has clocked up merely 145 minutes of playing time altogether.
The England star's most recent substitute appearance was during the 2-1 loss at Manchester United in September, when he was withdrawn after only 21 minutes. The Blues had been hopeful that he would be back in action before the end of the month, having sat out 16 matches this season across all competitions.
On a brighter note, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez and Benoit Badiashile are all set to be fit for the journey to Burnley.
Neto had to pull out of the Portugal squad that suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Republic of Ireland in Dublin during the international break.
He sustained a groin injury after netting a goal in Chelsea's 3-0 thrashing of Wolves and subsequently requested to be substituted by Maresca, but has since recovered.
Midfield wizard Fernandez also withdrew from the Argentina squad due to knee discomfort as he continues to grapple with a painful bone edema - essentially a fluid build-up causing stiffness.
However, he was seen training with Chelsea at Cobham in recent days, after missing Argentina's friendly win over Angola in Africa.